Lesson Material

Exercises in the user's guide

The Stellarium User Guide contains a short introduction to many astronomical concepts. The intention is to provide a description which can be used as a basis for describing Stellarium's features, but may also be of more general interest. There also exist some exercises in the guide. Anyone who wishes to include these materials as part of a class is very welcome. If you write additional exercises or reference material, please consider contributing them to the guide.

Digitalis Education Open Astronomy Curricula

Co-developer of the Stellarium software, Digitalis Education, has prepared a series of lesson plans for teaching astronomy. They are perfect for use with a Digitarium planetarium projector, but they can easily be adjusted to suit your own situation. They address the US National Science Education Standards.

Kindergarten through second grade

Moving Right Along is an introduction to Earth's rotation and revolution and how those movements affect our view of the sky.

Sky Stories introduces students to the pictures and stories of some Greco-Roman constellations, as well as reasons why constellations were created.

What's Up? explores what we can see in the sky (stars, planets, the moon) and differences between those objects.

Grades 3-5

Planets explores the differences between stars and planets, how we can recognize a planet in the night sky, and planetary motion (prograde and retrograde).

Star Quest introduces some Greco-Roman constellations; students also learn to use star maps to find the pictures in the sky.

StellarLunar explores stars, constellations, and the phases of the moon. Students learn what causes the phases and the name of each phase as they model the earth, moon, and sun system.

Moons of the Solar System explores differences between planets and moons, and introduces students to major moons of the solar system.

Grades 6-8

Stellar Navigation , written for the northern hemisphere, introduces students to the idea of navigating by the stars. Students learn to use stars to determine latitude and compass points, and observe how our location on Earth affects our view of the sky.

Solstice and Equinox explores the relevance of solstices and equinoxes, including how they relate to the seasons we experience.

World in Motion explores what is in motion in our solar system, that Earth's movements give us the day and the year, that gravity keeps planets in orbit around the sun and the moon in orbit around the earth, how to recognize a planet in the night sky, and prograde and retrograde planetary motion.

Mars (RTF) explores how to recognize the Red Planet in the sky, what makes Mars interesting, and past and future exploration missions to this planet.

Grades 9-12

Astrology: Fact or Fiction debunks astrology, explores the differences between science and pseudoscience, introduces students to the ecliptic and precession, and explains how and why the zodiac signs were created.

How do we Know? explores how we know what we know about our universe by looking at developments in three major eras: Greco-Roman times, the 17th century, and the late 19th century to today.

Hubble Space Telescope explores why the Hubble Space Telescope is in space, as well as several discoveries it has made.